Gaddafi’s proposal on Nigeria
EARLIER this week, the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, while addressing students in his country, advocated the dismemberment of the Nigerian federation into two new countries. The boundaries of the new entities, he proposed, would be along the geographical lines of the north and south. This, he believes, is the antidote to the kind of crisis that has seized Plateau State in recent times, occasioning the mindless waste of hundreds of lives.
As a precedent, Gaddafi cited the creation of Pakistan, which was excised from India in 1947. Pakistan is predominantly Muslim, while India is majorly Hindu, and rampant religious strife had resulted in frequent bloodletting. The Libyan leader described the Plateau violence as “a deep conflict of religious nature” caused by the nature of the Nigerian federation, “which was made and imposed by the British, in spite of the people’s resistance to it”. He claimed that the partition of India was a “historic and radical solution,” although he offered no explanation why Pakistan has been wracked by violence even after the split from India.
It is not difficult to appreciate why Gaddafi this time around is pretending to be an expert on how Nigeria should be governed. In his moments of megalomania, he has sometimes seen himself as President of a “United States of Africa”. And the Libyan government under his watch since 1969 has routinely been accused of aiding and abetting internal strife in some African countries, notably in West Africa. This is quite aside from the fact that Libya was a known sponsor of terrorism, one of the saddest incidents of which was the blowing up of Pan Am Flight 108 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988. Only recently have key Western countries begun dealing with Gaddafi, even if tentatively.
If he was reacting to the crisis in Plateau State, then he failed to realise that issues in Nigeria are not just sectarian, but complex. Gaddafi’s solution of bifurcation is simplistic; and to have voiced it at a public forum is all the more objectionable. His ignorant proposition assumes that the North of Nigeria is religiously monolithic, by being Muslim; while the South, in his thinking, is also monolithic, by being Christian.
On the contrary, there are millions of Christians who are indigenes in the northern states. Similarly, there are millions of Muslims who hail from the South. In fact, in some families, there is a good mix of Christians, Muslims and traditionalists. In any event, homogeneity does not necessarily guarantee nationhood, as the case of Somalia tragically reveals.
Gaddafi’s suggestion is undiplomatic. For an African leader, who only last year was Chairman of the African Union, it is a most irresponsible and careless statement to make. It is beyond his brief no matter his concern, and we are unable, given his track record to discern any genuine motive in his proposal, to call on another state to be dismembered. He is openly and unabashedly meddling in the internal affairs of another state.
Already, the widespread condemnation of Gaddafi’s proposal by ordinary and influential Nigerians, including Senate President David Mark, who described the Libyan leader as a “madman”, is an indication of their rejection of Gaddafi’s solution. It is all the more revolting that an outsider is pretending to be a problem-solver.
The proposal of disintegration, coming from a Head of State, is not just disrespectful to Nigeria; but in fact a hostile act. The Nigerian Government must react accordingly. Let no one take cold comfort in the fact that Gaddafi was merely expressing a solitary opinion. Or, that he had previously made a preposterous suggestion that Switzerland be obliterated from the map and its territory shared among Germany, France and Italy. You ignore Gaddafi to your own peril. In the past, he was alleged to have attempted to fan religious embers in northern Nigeria. Now, he has latched onto the crisis in and around Jos to make his crackpot proposal. No one can be certain what his ultimate intentions are, although it is clear to diplomatic watchers that Gaddafi would gladly welcome a situation where there is no influential country like Nigeria today, to checkmate his continental ambitions.
We expect the Federal Government to express its extreme displeasure over Gaddafi’s ill-advised statement. The net effect, of course, is that the Libyan leader has orchestrated a diplomatic spat with Nigeria. Straightway, the Libyan Ambassador to Nigeria should be invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, where Gaddafi’s repugnant suggestion and interference in Nigeria’s internal affairs should be deplored in the extreme. The Nigerian Government should follow up immediately with a recall of her ambassador to Tripoli, for further consultations at home.
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While everyone has a right to his own opinion, I believe Muammar Gaddafi has his, and Nigerians have theirs as well. Since the above statement by Gaddafi, we have been all ears. Its a genuine question we should ask ourselves though: do we want Nigeria to divide? If Nigeria divides into two countries, for example, who belongs where? who gains and who looses?
Would you tell a Musa who was born and bred in Lagos to go back to his fathers land in Kano? or would you tell a Ghenga living in the Maiduguri to pack his bags and go back south? Would Emeka be ready to leave Lagos for the East?
What would happen to the many families composed of blood-related Christians and Muslims? intermarried Northerners and Southerners who have chosen to take shelter either in the North or South? Which part of the country would they choose to belong, considering that Christians in the North might take such a proposal(division of Nigeria to two) as an intending persecution, and run for shelter somewhere else. Though our members are many and our ways of life different, are we better as one-nation, or we are better divided.
The floor is now open: should Nigeria divide? should we call it quits and let everyone go home?
Yes, or No, and why!
Waladis
March 20, 2010
Am in support of the dismemberment of the nation. The crisis going on in the northern part of the country is the same crisis that led to the Nigerian civil war (Biafra War), Ojukwu felt it was neccessary then for the dismemberment but unfortunately he did not succeed and received no support from the west rather the Western region collaborated with the northern region and won the war against Ojukwu. I believe that Ojukwu made the right decision at that time and till date, I still strongly support this opinion especially with the on going events in the northern part of the country which has worsened since the end of the civil war.
Secondly, Muslims and Christians in the south live peacefully, there is also mutual understanding and inter-marriages within this two groups, but WHY is it different in the north.
Thirdly, Muslims in the south are been discriminated by the north as not being true Muslims.
My fourth point is that I believe that the Northerners have got natural apetite for violence right from the time of Uthman Dan Fodio. Even if there is no outsiders on sight to fight, they always end up fighting themselves e.g. the Maitatsine crisis, Akaluka riot, Reinhard Bonke uprising, Boko Haram” meaning Westernization is a sin e.t.c.
Finally, If Ojukwu action to divide Nigeria 44 years ago could still be suggested as a solution to this constant crisis, then it’s high time we all should start giving it a very serious thought.
Adenugba samson o
March 21, 2010
‘one man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist’ His excellency, Ghadaffi was many years back known as a rebel,but to his people in the grassroots, a freedom fighter.he fought for the freedom of Libya from Western corruption,burning and looting of their wealth. Today, the same Ghadaffi has turned Libya to one of the best place in the world you would ever want to be;98% access to free health care,accommodation for all citizen(all the houses is own by the government),no first class citizen(everyone lives in the government provided accommodation,even Ghadaffi himself),produced the the fastest car in 2008,no government official is having any foreign account(s),crime rate is at its absolute minimum,….
During the Biafra war, Baba Awolowo’s vision for Nigeria was different, he thought many good heads is better than one,that by having many tribes come together to form a Nation will make it strong and number one, like the US have men from all parts of earth(blacks,asians,germans,…). So he helped in the fighting of the Biafrans and allies, and the battle was won. The same Awolowo was killed in the quest of making our motherland a great nation. Everything now has turned into nightmare, making Awolowo cry that his whole work has been ruined. Northerners killing the South, for more political and less religion reasons.
Now Ghadaffi, a man with numerous wealth of knowledge,experience and wisdom, forsee Nigeria as a failed state, (which is very true and even the US had earlier release a bill that,she doesn’t think Nigeria would survive 2014), gave us the best advice of de-centralizing. Let Bode pack his shit from Abuja back to Ibadan, Dangote to haul his ass from Akure back to Kano; so that these killing/murdering machines won’t kill all the Christians of whom are mainly Southerners,in their homestates.
For crying out loud,NIGERIA is too big and populous to be ruled by Wicked souls of which their only thought is of themselves.
Even if we don’t split now amicably, we are likely not to miss 2014 ‘pack your load go your baba house’. ‘we can no longer bear the collective name, Nigeria’. As for me, I wholefully support the ‘split’ as the answer to bloodshed and cheat.
Nigeria
March 23, 2010
Nobody should blame Gadaffi for saying what he said. It is very obvious that this country should not have been merged in the first place. Look at where we are today because of a stupid and useless act of a british in 1914.
Alero
March 23, 2010
Good or bad we must divide, let’s start it right now, let’s go into the streets with our banners. We cant stay with the north anymore, any of ur might be the next to go. Pls let’s call the west to help us with our plight.
Arinze
March 23, 2010
I was deceiving myself that there is strength in diversity, I am an igbo man, and like the idea of Nigeria being the giant of Africa both in population and land mass, however, more than 30 years of independence has proven that the idea of one big nation with diverse ethnic group is utopian. The earlier we go our different ways to the lesser the number of lives that is being scarified to the Alice in wonderland idea of Nigerian nation
oscar
March 26, 2010
what is the need of claiming to be one claiming to live together as a nation if we do not love each other,if the massacring between muslim and christian,between Hausa,Yoruba and igbo continue,i think the best option is for all Nigerian to accept Gaddafi’s proposal i never believe in one Nigerian because we have different ethnic culture’s we are not suppose to be together as a nation because a nation is an association of those who are brought together by language or culture or by given geographical condition or by the vole assigned them by history,you can see that their is different in culture between the Hausa,Yoruba,and igbo,Nigeria is one today because the oil was discovered from eastern zone,if the oil is discovered from north or any other part of Nigeria there would be no Nigeria by now,while they are still a nation called Nigeria today is because all the igbos are coward’s,people who sell their pride for a peanut money,if we have at least 10 strong men like Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu,their would be a sovereign sate of biafra by now
Joblist Ghana
January 18, 2011
I concur, Ghadaffi should not be blamed for any name calling, I think we deserve whatever that’s happening to us
Josephdivine Ande
August 7, 2012
As a concern citizen of this country, i strongly oppose the idea of disintegration of nigeria. It is the uttermost evil to carry out such action. The myopic people who know nothing about the religion and ethnic configuration of this country are going astray, when the gap for bifucation of the country! To frank, there is not single state that one can not find indigenous christains in this country! In the south, we have indigenous muslims, a case of interlink exist almost in all the states of federation both along religion and ethnic lines. Hausa/fulani, igbo and yoruba are not helping matters, as they failed to concede that nigeria is not their own only, but other tribes exist. Jos has no less than 35 different ethnics, taraba has about 23 different ethnics, adamawa has no les than 16 ethnics, cross river, delta, yobe, zamfara kogi,ebönyi, bayelsa, river edo and many others states are own by ethnics oder than hausa, igbo, and yoruba. So if i may advise, i would say nigeria shuld be divided into 36, not 2(hahahaha)
nigeria should remain, she dont want to degenerate to afghanistain or pakistain! Christain in the north will continue to fight war with muslims, social vices will increase in geometrical rate in d south, man will use man as food in both south and north. No peace in either of the rigion. The aforementioned evils are the basics aftermaths of the bifurcation of nigeria. My prayer is that god should take me home before it happen.